Birds · Passeriformes · Phylloscopidae

Iberian Chiffchaff

Phylloscopus ibericus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Iberian chiffchaff is a tiny bird that breeds in the humid deciduous woodlands of the northern half and west of the Iberian Peninsula and a strip of south-western France, and winters in sub-Saharan Africa. It is practically identical to the European common chiffchaff and can be told apart reliably only by song and genetics. It was separated as a species in its own right in the 1990s, and there is a narrow strip in the Pyrenees where the two species meet and occasionally hybridise.

Weight

7 g – 10 g

Size

10 cm – 12 cm

Lifespan

7 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestInsectivore Diurnal In pairs Bird Temperate forest

7countries 39parks3same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt was split from the common chiffchaff as a species on its song and its genetics.
It was recognised as a species in its own right in the 1990s thanks to its song: where the common chiffchaff repeats a monotonous chiff-chaff, the Iberian bird adds a faster, higher second part, and that difference is enough for females to tell the males of each species apart.
In a narrow strip of the Pyrenees the two species live side by side and occasionally hybridise: hybrid males sing a mixture of the two phrases and usually end up without a mate.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Oak and chestnut woods, riverside forest and damp pine woods of northern and western Iberia
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 14 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 5 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylloscopus_ibericus